Many of the items were discovered on the Great North Road, which runs adjacent to the A1 and dates back to the Roman period.

They include a Roman cicada brooch made in Pannonia - a region that today includes parts of Hungary, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia - and ceramic pots found next to human remains at a Roman cemetery at Bainesse, near Catterick.

A miniature sword was also unearthed at Scotch Corner and is thought to have been a gift for the dead.

Some of the items will go to the York Museum Trust and eventually go on display.

Dr Hannah Russ, from the NAA, said: "We are learning so many new things about the people who were living in the vicinity of the A1 in the past."

The work is part of a Highways England scheme to install an extra lane in each direction of the A1 and improve the route.

Tom Howard, from the agency, said: "It is fascinating to discover that nearly 2,000 years ago the Romans were utilising here as a major road of strategic importance and using the very latest technological innovations from that period."